Air Transport

Virgin Blue's long-haul arm V Australia will commence daily non-stop services on the Sydney-Nadi route on 18 December.

The carrier will operate Boeing 777-300ERs on the Fiji route, says V Australia. The service will replace that of Pacific Blue Airlines, which is also part of the Virgin Blue group.

"The 10-hour round trip has the dual purpose of allowing V Australia to achieve maximum aircraft utilisation while giving Pacific Blue the opportunity to re-direct its aircraft to other new and existing routes," says V Australia.

Pacific Blue operates seven flights a week on the Sydney-Nadi route using Boeing 737-800s, according to Innovata. Fiji's Air Pacific operates a daily service on the route with Boeing 747-400s, it says.